Saving and editing queries on Data Explorer is giving me a headache

Question

I find the current workflow for dealing with queries on SEDE way too complicated.

Naming queries with the comments is awkward, amending saved queries is awkward, working through a query's history is awkward.

I think a much simpler model for editing/saving queries that is the way gist works.

In particular I think we should:

Get rid of the magic "comment-names-the-query" thing, and replace it with gist style name / description text boxes.
Introduce a concept of query lineage, after you hit compose you are at revision 1, as you improve / change your query track revisions, just like gist, in a panel on the right.
Perhaps eliminate the whole concept of "saved queries", all of them are saved anyway. Perhaps when featuring, mods can pin it to a revision, to ensure it keeps on working.
(in an ideal world) allow for commenting on the query like they have on gist

Thoughts? Anyone feel like picking this up :)

Yeah, we shou - wait, the OP is waffles? I thought you wrote it! — uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN, Oct 7, 2011 at 3:35
@NullUserExceptionஇ_இ #3 is tricky, not certain what we should do there, just know that what we have now is broken — waffles, Oct 7, 2011 at 3:45
Just out of curiosity, would it be feasible to set up a question/answer format on Data Explorer? i.e. Someone asks a question that would define what a query should return, and then the community can propose and vote on queries. — Chris Frederick, Oct 7, 2011 at 18:06

badp · Accepted Answer · 2012-11-06 08:45:49Z

3

Note: Please keep in mind that I am advocating jsFiddle's workflow and not its interface.

I think the ideal workflow would be something similar to jsFiddle.

_{<-- click for larger screenshot}

It matches quite a few of your criterion:

Get rid of the magic "comment-names-the-query" thing, and replace it with gist style name / description text boxes.
jsFiddle definitely offers something similar to this - you can tag your fiddles, add external libraries, and define options.
Introduce a concept of query lineage, after you hit compose you are at revision 1, as you improve / change your query track revisions, just like gist, in a panel on the right.
This is where jsFiddle shines - you can click the 'update' button to create a new revision, view previous revisions, and share the fiddle with others who can then fork it and do the same thing.
Perhaps eliminate the whole concept of "saved queries", all of them are saved anyway. Perhaps when featuring, mods can pin it to a revision, to ensure it keeps on working.
Although not quite the same thing, jsFiddle provides the option to embed the fiddle on another page or view it fullscreen - similar to how data.SE could link to a particular revision that people could share and link to without fear of breakage, etc.

badp

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answered Oct 7, 2011 at 3:49

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I think the gist interface is much, much, cleaner.
– NullUserException อ_อ
Oct 7, 2011 at 3:57
@NullUserExceptionஇ_இ: Than jsFiddle??? I admit that gist has a clean interface... but cleaner? Also keep in mind that we're talking workflow here - not necessarily interface.
– uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN
Oct 7, 2011 at 4:02
1

@GeogeEdison How many accordions, drop downs, checkboxes and buttons does jsFiddle have? Compare that to gist.
– NullUserException อ_อ
Oct 7, 2011 at 4:05
@NullUserExceptionஇ_இ: Just because an interface contains more options, doesn't mean that it's inferior to another simpler one. jsFiddle is an excellent example of presenting only the most frequently used options by default yet providing access to others in a simple and intuitive manner.
– uɐɯsO uɐɥʇɐN
Oct 7, 2011 at 4:07
4

JSFiddle, for all its good points, is cluttered and irritating, like whoever designed it spent entirely too much time using Eclipse. Use it as a template for workflow if you wish, but don't copy the UI!
– Shog9
Oct 7, 2011 at 4:16

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